Redemption of a Weapon
by NekoNekoMinako
Summary: Sequel to Project Name: KIRA. When Dawne is called on a mysterious mission, she may find out more about her creation than she ever thought possible...and perhaps, even gain the family she had been longing to find.
1. Prologue

Well, here we are again! Let's follow Dawne on her new adventure!

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Disclaimer: Do not own Storm Hawks, Final Fantasy 7, or any song lyrics used in the course of the story. This disclaimer shall be the same one used throughout the story. Got it memorized?

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Prologue

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_yume ni kizutsuite mo nanimo kawari wa shinai_

_atarashii tobira o aketa..._

_hirogaru sekai e tsuzuku_

_setsunai hodo ni dakishimerareteita kono karada o_

_honno sukoshi dake tsuyoku naru tame ni mizukara o_

_kizuketeita..._

_tooku e tsuzuku michi o ima wa arukitsuzukeru... dake sa_

_~Gackt, Lapis-Prologue-~_

--

Dawne , for once in her life, was content. It had been three years since the fall of ATLAB, and her life as a mercenary had been rather fulfilling. Many a time, she had Zack on the job with her, though it was more often than not that she worked solo.

Not that she was alone. On one of her more recent excursions, she had come across an orphaned wolf pup. The ink-black fur had reminded her too much of Kira, and so she had taken it in. Kira, as it soon came to be named, became her new companion, and was inseparable from her. Zack sometimes got jealous of the little pup because it got more of her time than he did.

Of course, Kira was protective of Dawne, and upon meeting Aerrow and Zack, became protective of them, too. In other words, they were Kira's "pack." She was amiable towards the other Storm Hawks, yet held a slight distrust towards Stork.

The feeling was mutual. Stork was convinced that Kira held some disease or disease-bearing creature on her being. Dawne constantly assured him she didn't, but it did nothing to assuage the merb's fears.

But this is only Dawne. What of her "little brother," the one everyone knows as Aerrow?

...He had changed drastically since the day ATLAB fell, and not for the better.

Ever so careful was he to never let anybody touch him for fear of his power - his ability to see somebody's past - be used against his will. He'd rather it never had been there at all.

His squadron - his friends - had noticed that he was no longer the happy, carefree teen he once was. Yet they could do nothing, could not comfort him, for he would shy away before they could. Even Dawne - who he knew the past of already - was unable to help the one person who had once helped her.

This story begins during one of Dawne's visits to the Storm Hawks...

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"Wow, so you really got to see a pack of Amazonian horned tigers?!" Piper squealed as Dawne told of her latest mission, having only read of them in one of her many books.

"Yes, and they are as majestic as people say they are." the silverette answered, chuckling a bit at the bluenette's enthusiasm. "Anyway, as I said, my mission was to find out just who was poaching them - as you know, the Council has placed tons of rules on that sort of thing."

"They place tons of rules on everything." Finn grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against a nearby wall.

"Be as it may, the fines for poaching are incredibly high - around four thousand gold pieces, more depending on how endangered the species already was."

Finn nearly fell over at that.

"As I was saying before, this pack was the only one left on Amazonia, so adding to my most recent comment, the fines would be extravagant."

"Yet, the risks are worth taking, because the species is so rare?" Aerrow speculated from where he was sitting...away from the main group.

Dawne nodded, a wave of sorrow passing through her at the sight of the once-cheerful, ruby-haired teen. She pushed it away quickly, at least long enough to continue her tale.

"That's correct. Well, long story short, I was able to get the poachers...and stop a bit of Cyclonian trade at the same time." She sighed, shaking her head. "I had a feeling it'd be them, so I wasn't a bit surprised when that turned out to be the case."

Piper was about to say something, until Stork cut her off.

"Um, would anybody care to explain why there's a hawk flying right at us?"

"Oh, that's how the mercenary guild usually contacts me, since they never know where I'm going to be next!" the silver-haired woman laughed, opening a window quickly to allow the bird in. It landed on the back of a chair, holding its head up proudly to reveal where the message was hidden.

"How does it know where to find you?" Junko asked, amazed at this event.

"Tracking crystal." Dawne said simply as she took the message crystal from its place. The hawk made a proud noise, as if glad it had completed its task, then took off. "I carry one with me when I'm not on a mission so they know where to find me."

Everyone was silent as she activated the crystal.

_Dawne, this is not going to be a mission like normal. We have received a transmission over an unknown line, asking for you to meet them at Terra Saharr. We advise you to be careful, as this will be a long-term mission with, as we have said before, an unknown client._

The silverette was silent for a few minutes, violet eyes closed as if she were holding an inward conversation. When she opened them again, she glanced over to Aerrow.

"Would you take care of Kira for me?"

"Sure, but...why?" the ruby-haired teen questioned, quite confused as to why she would leave her beloved partner behind. Said wolf was puzzled, as well, rubbing up against Dawne's side and nuzzling her hand.

"I'm dealing with multiple unknown variables in this mission. I would rather that my life be the only one placed in danger." she explained, scratching the black wolf's ear fondly. "Also, I'm unsure where Zack is currently located. I trust you, Aerrow, to take good care of her...and I know she adores you."

As if to prove Dawne right, Kira leapt over to Aerrow and curled up next to his feet, staring up at him with bright red eyes - the "please-can-I-stay?" look.

"Alright, I'll look after Kira while you're gone." the young sky knight said softly, the faintest traces of his old smile returning for a brief moment.

Dawne smiled when she saw that trace of her old "little brother" show up from deep within him.

Yet inside her, she felt a sense of worry begin to gnaw at her insides, much like Kira would at the bone from a good piece of meat. She got the strange feeling...that this mission would lead her to something that would change everything...

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Alright! Prologue is done! Tell me what you think, and if you want me to, tell me in your review to send you the translation for the lyrics at the beginning.


	2. Chapter 1

The first chapter...and I have nothing to say, other than read and enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Insert disclaimer from prologue.

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Chapter One: Beginning of the End

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_It's all around_

_Getting stronger, coming closer_

_Into my world_

_I can feel_

_That it's time for me to face it_

_Can I take it?_

_Though this might just be the ending_

_Of the life I held so dear_

_But I won't run,_

_There's no turning back from here_

_~Within Temptation, Stand My Ground~_

--

The entire time spent getting to Saharr was, in Dawne's opinion, much too quiet. Opting to take the cruiser from Atmosia, thus allowing her to conserve her energy, she didn't expect how much time it would truly give her to think.

Already, she had formulated countless plans of action for the multiple situations that could arise upon her arrival.

Unfortunately, she could think of no other possible action/reaction equations to ponder for the rest of the trip.

It now seemed she could put it off no longer - she would _have_ to read the book her creator had given her during his dying moments...if only to save herself from boredom. Materializing it from the carrier crystal it was held in, she steeled herself for whatever it might reveal.

_-Entry 1- Our research is nearly complete. However, it is far from flawless. Our initial plan was to create but one being. To make this project a success, we will have to make four. We are still unsure of how this change will affect the initial data, but all of us feel confident that the project will be a success no matter what._

_-Entry 2- We've made an astounding discovery! The crystals located within Terra Myst are, indeed, affecting the cells that shall form our creations! Each one is reacting to specific elements. Take, for example, Subject One : it has a strong affinity towards water and ice based crystals. More observation is required on this matter._

_-Entry 3- Confusion. That is all I can say about the general atmosphere. Subject Two appears to be aligning elementally with...well, all the elements. The other three only have two possible true alignments, whereas this one...Also, it appears to have a white glow around it...almost as if it aligns with another element that is purer than the others...We can know nothing more about this until all four mature a little more..._

Dawne stopped there. She could agree with the last entry - she, too, was suddenly confused. Were there others like her? Was she created after these four?

Or was she one of these four?

"Terra Saharr approaching." a voice said over a speaker system. Sighing, she willed the diary back into the crystal, picking up her blade from the seat beside her and standing up.

The mission came first, she told herself - all her questions would have to be answered later...

"Oi, Dawne!! Din't think we'd see you arahnd 'eer!" came a familiar voice as she walked through the streets of the main section of Saharr, one that could only belong to a certain Saharran sky knight. She stopped and turned around to face the voice; sure enough, it was.

"Good day, Blister." she said calmly, walking over.

"Wat brangs you 'eer?" the man asked.

"Another mission. Surely you've heard from Aerrow..."

"Dahn't rahlly 'ear frahm 'im any mahr." Blister said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Cahm ta think of it, nobody rahlly does."

"I see..." Dawne stated, hiding her sorrow. Had Aerrow changed so much as to rarely contact those who were so close to him?

Her gaze switched from Blister to a hooded figure approaching them from behind the large man.

"Som'thin wrong?" the sky knight asked. Dawne nodded in the direction of the figure, causing Blister to turn and also watch their approach.

"Are you Dawne Eagleheart?" the person - now known to be a man, from the voice - questioned upon reaching the pair.

"I am."

"Then there is much to discuss regarding your mission." With that, the person turned and began walking off. Dawne glanced apologetically at Blister before following.

"So, that's de life o' a mahrcenarhee?" Blister muttered, following the pair with his gaze until they disappeared into a nearby bar. Sighing, he went about his own business.

The pair sat down at a table in a far corner - dark, out of sight, out of ear shot, the ideal place to discuss a mission. A waitress came by, and they both ordered the same thing - black coffee. They waited until their drinks arrived before they began talking details.

"So..." Dawne started, tracing her finger around the rim of her mug, "the guild master told me I was to expect a long term mission."

"You've been granted temporary dismissal by the mercenary guild for this." the man said. "I've already handled the minor details with him, so you will have nothing to worry about."

"Just who the hell are you, anyway?" the silverette growled quietly. She was already a bit upset that her visit with Aerrow was cut short, now this guy just shows up and tells her he's managed to get her temporarily dismissed?

"I'm afraid I can't tell you just yet. However, you may be interested in what I have to tell you..."

Aerrow was quite surprised when Zack of all people contacted them, asking to meet up with them on Atmosia. They headed that way immediately, and all were in shock when they saw he was not alone.

His entire group - although small - was with him, as well.

"Zack, you...wanted to see us?" Aerrow asked softly, a bit worried.

"Yeah...hey, wasn't Dawne supposed to be with you?" the black-haired warrior questioned, looking for the silverette anxiously.

"She was called off on a mission." Piper replied, noticing how frantic Zack seemed.

"It seems you're fears were well founded, then..." the blond standing not too far away from Zack stated. His blue eyes glowed similarly to Zack's, his blond hair spiked naturally compared to Finn's gelled ones, and he wore a modified version of the uniform Zack wore. A gleaming, silver wolf-shaped buckle on his shoulder guard matched the single earring he wore on his left ear. A long sleeve covered his left arm, for what reasons they could only begin to guess. What caught their attention most was the large blade that hung from a holster off his mid-back - it looked more like it was formed from multiple blades.

"And you are...?"

"Cloud Strife. The captain of this group."

"You're not a sky knight?" Junko asked.

"The Silver Wolves is a mercenary group, not a squadron." came a voice from the shadows, causing the group to nearly jump out of their skins. Turning to look, they found themselves met with the sight of a man dressed fully in black leather, the only other color provided by the tattered red cape, the red piece of cloth tied around his forehead, and the glinting golden claw that made up his lower left arm. Gold-colored steel covered the tips of his boots. Although the top of his cape covered most of his face, the Storm Hawks saw he had pale skin and crimson eyes. Long, jet-black hair just seemed to add to this man's air of mysteriousness.

"Uh..." Aerrow felt very eloquent just then.

"Vincent. Vincent Valentine."

"He's not as threatening as he looks." came a fourth voice, one they could not find the source of. "Look down." They did, only to nearly pass out from shock. A large cat-like creature, red in color, had stalked up to them, and was now talking to them. The tip of its tail had the appearance of being on fire, it had two piercings in its right ear and one in its left, what looked to be bracelets on each of its ankles, feathers and beaded strands of hair hanging next to its head, and tattoos across its body. Its right eye was gone, replaced by nothing but a X-shaped scar.

"It-It talks!!!" Finn yelped.

"I am Red XIII. Or Nanaki, as I was first named. I will go by whichever you choose to call me." the leonine creature said, choosing to ignore Finn's comment.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way," Cloud started, "perhaps we should get down to business."

"Dawne really went on a mission? Just now?" Zack asked.

"About an hour and a half ago." Piper replied. The other Storm Hawks rolled their eyes - trust her to know that.

"It would seem we have little choice, then..." Cloud said softly, turning to his own ship.

"Choice?" Aerrow echoed. "What does he mean by choice?!"

"We were hired by the Sky Knight Council to track down Dawne. There is reason to believe she is now a threat to Atmos." Vincent answered bluntly.

Dawne felt her world crashing in at the news. This couldn't be happening to her again. She'd spent every moment until three years ago running for her life, and she would have to run again?

"I know this is hard to take..."

"You think?" the silverette snarled. She closed her eyes, resting her head on her arms.

"Iridessa..."

Dawne's eyes shot open and she stared at the man. Something within her felt like it was weakening.

"What did you call me?"

The young man was about to answer, but suddenly turned his attention to something else.

"I've just been informed that there are people headed this way to capture you. It would seem that the order has reached here sooner than we expected."

"We? Who's we?" Dawne asked.

"There's no time. It will all be explained later, once we reach Terra Myst."

Dawne merely nodded, following the man as he left through a back door.

As soon as they were out in the back alley, two others dropped down to join them.

"This her?"

"Yes. Now, we need to hurry. We make for the rock outcroppings. At nightfall, we head for Myst."

With no other words between them, the four made a run for the desert.

As always, reviews are welcomed!! Flames shall be used to toast marshmallows for s'mores.


	3. Chapter 2

We're back with a new chapter! So, here goes!

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Insert previous disclaimers

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Chapter Two: Iridessa

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_Oh how I wish_

_For soothing rain_

_All I wish is to dream again_

_My loving heart_

_Lost in the dark_

_For hope I'd give my everything_

_~Nightwish, Nemo~_

--

The quartet had taken refuge in a large grouping of boulders - it shaded them from the sweltering sun overhead, and hid them from the people who they knew would be searching for Dawne.

Dawne, though, would have preferred to let the sun bake her into dust. Everything she had fought for had just been ripped out from beneath her. At the moment, she was curled against a boulder, knees drawn against her chest as they all waited for nightfall.

"Dawne?" came one of their voices. She did not look up, but did move slightly in acknowledgment of hearing them. "What all do you know of Project K.I.R.A.?"

"Only that my bastard of a father started it and killed thousands to create me. Other than that, the details are sketchy at most."

"That's what we were afraid of..." came the cloaked young woman's voice. Dawne lifted her head just enough to look at them, confusion glittering in the violet depths of her eyes.

"Did it never occur to you there was more to it? Even from just the name?" the third asked softly.

The silverette's eyes widened a bit in realization - it had been there, in front of her nose even, all the time. K.I.R.A. was an acronym!

"Perhaps...it would be easier if we told you..." said the first of the three.

"Why? Do you work for ATLAB?" Dawne growled.

"No." the same man replied, pushing back the hood of his cape.

Dawne gasped - he looked almost exactly like her! Silver hair (she could not say how long, for it disappeared beneath his cloak), pale skin...his only differences were obviously his gender and his midnight blue eyes.

"I, like my brother and sister here, am one of the first four ATLAB creations." he stated. "My name is Kito."

The other two removed their hoods, as well.

"I'm Rai." the other male said quietly, almost shyly. Dawne looked over at him, and felt her insides twist at who he reminded her of - Aerrow. His red hair and bangs were tipped with silver, and fell over his shoulders after he pulled it out from under his cloak. Like Kito's, his eyes were blue, but they were much lighter in shade, almost the shade of the sky. His skin was just as pale as his brother's.

"Amara. Nice to meet you." the young woman finally said. Burgundy hair was pulled up into a braided bun, but her bangs were black - a stark contrast from the rest of her hair. Violet eyes and pale skin so similar to Dawne's own sent chills down said silverette's spine.

Looking at them all, it was then she noticed something else - like her, they all had two blue slashes on their right cheek.

"Has it sunk in yet? Iridessa?" Amara asked.

Again, that feeling of something snapping - a chain? or maybe a barrier? - within her happened at the mention of that name.

"Why do you keep calling me Iridessa? My name is Dawne!"

"The name Marks gave you is Dawne." Kito stated. "The name you were given when you were created was Iridessa."

"Marks created me!!" _Didn't he?_

"Yet, he didn't create us." Rai countered softly. "We were created elsewhere, yet we bear similarities to you. I do not think that's a coincidence."

Dawne was silent, unable to think of anything logical to counteract the redhead's statement.

"You have the diary, right?" Kito asked. Dawne nodded, bringing it out. "I'm going to guess you haven't gotten very far."

"Go to entry 39. You'll see what we speak of." Amara said. Dawne sighed, but did as she was told.

_-Entry 39- Subject Two, Iridessa, has become increasingly unstable as of late. We've brought in another scientist, Dr. Keith Marks, to help with this problem. He is rumored to be the best in the field of genetics, and although a regrettable science, a genius in gene manipulation. We are hoping that he can come up with some way to stabilize Iridessa before we lose her._

"Continue reading through to 41." Kito stated. Dawne said nothing.

_-Entry 40- Marks believes he has a way to stabilize Iridessa. He believes that her synchronization with more than two elements may have caused this. Therefore, he is now trying to find a way to block the other elements and leave her with just two. This is a plausible theory, and we are all praying that he can save our beloved Iridessa._

_-Entry 41- He has been successful! Iridessa is stable! However, this has also come with a price. With the blocking of all but two elements, she has lost all the markings upon her, including the two upon her cheek that gave her the link with her siblings. Marks has told us that, with time, she may be able to regain all of her powers and be completely stable. However, for the time being, it would be best to remove her from the area. A new lab is being built, and he has been asked to be its head researcher. We have agreed to let her be transferred there, as we feel he is the most capable person to entrust her with._

"...so Marks...isn't my creator..." Dawne whispered.

"No." Kito said. "Of course, we're not entirely sure who created us, either. We awakened because we felt a fourth link."

"These had come back...I'd regained all my abilities." the silver-haired woman murmured, remembering Kira and Sarah.

"You're obviously stable now, too." Rai observed. Dawne said nothing at all for many minutes.

"May I make a single request?"

"Of course."

"Should I ever get to see my friends again...please call me Dawne around them. Other than that...I think I'd like to be called by my real name."

The other three smiled, nodding their consent. Kito then peered out of their hiding place cautiously.

"The sun's gone down...We need to leave here." he said, stepping out. The others quickly followed.

"Wait...we can't get a cruiser or anything to Terra Myst...how are we going to get there?!" Dawne, or Iridessa as she shall now be known, quickly asked.

"We fly." Kito replied, letting his wings appear from beneath his cloak. The other two did the same. Iridessa had no time to be surprised - she quickly followed their lead, and soon all four were flying off into the dark of the night.

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Just as a reminder, Dawne and Iridessa are the same person, so Iridessa is the name I'll be using for a while. Remember, reviews are like my ramen - delicious and the breakfast of champions!

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Added 6/7/09:

I actually had this chapter finished 5/27/09, two days after the last post. Yeah, I'm one of those writers - waiting until I feel enough people have reviewed before I update. Well, I'm updating before that point for a reason - I won't be updating for a VERY long time. My uncle, and basically the only one I've got left, just died (6/6/09), and since he was very close and definitely one of my favorite people to hang out with, it'll be very hard to get over his death. Even now, I really don't feel like typing up this, but I felt you all deserved to know why my stories would be delayed. I don't know how long I'll be gone, and if you happen to read any of my other incomplete-multi-chapter works, I would very much appreciate it if you would tell those readers for me - it's still...just too surreal. I keep hoping it's just a nightmare and that I'll wake up from it and he'll be alive and asking if I want to come over and watch Sailor Moon with him or something. So, just bear with me for now, and I'll try to be back as soon as I can.

Thanks, NekoNekoMinako


	4. Chapter 3

Hi, peoples!! I'm back, and typing up a chapter that will make the wait you went through worth it! Thanks for sticking with me, everybody!!

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Disclaimers from previous chapters still apply.

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Chapter Three: New Face of Vengeance

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_Catch me as I fall_

_Say you're here and it's all over now_

_Speaking to the atmosphere_

_No one's here and I fall into myself_

_This truth drives me_

_Into madness_

_I know I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

_~Evanescence, Whisper~_

--

The flight to Terra Myst was relatively quiet, the only sound being the air running past the four siblings' swiftly moving bodies and the occasional beat of a pair of wings. Iridessa found the silence both refreshing and unsettling. She exhaled lightly into the cold night, her warm breath forming a clouds upon contact with the chill.

_You miss your friends, do you not?_

She turned her head sharply towards Kito, mostly because she had just heard HIS voice in HER head. He smiled and merely pointed towards the twin slashes on his right cheek - the same as on all of them. So lost in her own thoughts, she'd completely forgotten about that.

_Yes...I suppose this could not be helped, could it?_ she sent back, catching his mournful head gesture. They both faced forwards as tiny whisps of mist began to float through the atmosphere.

At this point, Rai flew ahead of them, and began pushing aside some of the mist with various gusts of wind. Iridessa felt a pang in her heart again at just how similar Aerrow and Rai were. Kito, as if sensing something was wrong, brushed his wing gently against his sister's before heading over towards the younger male.

_We're almost there, Iridessa!_ came Amara's ever-cheerful voice. Iridessa had to smile a little at that as she followed her siblings towards the hidden terra.

--

"No luck, Cloud?" Zack asked, wincing slightly as a very pissed off blond made a very nice dent in the steel wall of their room with his fist.

"We missed her by only six hours." Cloud snarled, Mako blue eyes flashing dangerously. "You call that luck?"

"Zackary might." Nanaki said softly, bringing up the ravenette's relationship to their current target. "We, on the other hand, have no connection to this...Dawne...whatsoever."

Vincent said nothing, opting to merely watch how the scene played out.

"Dammit!" Cloud growled, making yet another nice dent. "How the hell are we supposed to find her if she's able to stay one step ahead of us?!"

"...You don't..." a meek voice said from behind them all. Turning to see the source of that voice...

"Aerrow?" Zack asked softly. The red-haired sky knight was only half visible, staying slightly hidden behind the door frame. Kira, however, made herself quite known, and made sure she was seen by growling to get their attention drawn to her for a bit.

"What do you mean, we don't find her?" Vincent finally asked, quite curious as to the teen's words, and ignoring a certain fuming blond's comments on ignoring a naive teenager.

"She'll be found when she wants to be found." Aerrow replied. "Until then, you won't have any luck. Nobody did until a little over three years ago, not even my father - and he was one of the best at tracking down wanted people, just ask anybody. So, you'd do better to just give up for a little while, then wait until she reappears."

The room's occupants were stunned - here was Dawne's "younger brother" trying to help them catch her?

"Why are you helping us? There's got to be a catch." Cloud whispered.

"Only that you give her a chance..." Aerrow stated before leaving, Kira at his side.

--

The quartet were currently resting within the old lab building, and Iridessa was actually quite surprised at some of the facts she was learning of both her creation and her siblings. Despite the order their names appeared in - Kito, Iridessa, Rai, Amara - Rai was actually the youngest, made to be the appearance of a seventeen-year-old boy. Kito was basically her twin, coming in at the same designated age of twenty-three. Amara was right in the middle, aged at twenty. Of course, they were designed to stay at these ages, which made her a bit sad - her other "family", Zack and Aerrow, would continue to age without her.

Though, she then had to chuckle a bit internally - Zack would eventually look like her grandfather, and perhaps Aerrow her father. It was both hilarious to her and painful to think of, and she quickly pushed the thought aside.

"We also seem to have very specific abilities, aside from the fact some of us can only control a few elements compared to your mastery over all of them." Kito stated with a small smile, said grin growing just a bit when his "twin" turned her head to try and hide her growing blush. "It's perfectly alright, Iridessa - we don't mind."

"Not at all, considering all the problems you had." Rai muttered from his place off to the side. He suddenly found himself whacked in the head by a hand made of shadows, courtesy of Amara.

"So, what abilities are these? From what I've gathered, most of our strengths are the same." the silver-haired woman stated.

"Kito's is kinda frightening, in my opinion." Amara answered. "One minute, he's perfectly normal, the next he's some raging beast."

"She's named it "Demonic Rage," though I'm not quite sure that's truly accurate, as I've never actually lost my mind like the supposed demons in legends and myths." Kito murmured.

"Moving along!" the burgundy-haired woman exclaimed, glaring at Kito for interrupting her. "Mine is...kinda weird. I can impersonate just about anything...It's kinda like the photographic memory thing we've got, only...well..."

"This one allows a broader range of things you can copy?" Iridessa offered.

"Yeah! That's a good way of putting it!" the younger woman exclaimed. She looked over at Rai, who merely turned away from them. "He...doesn't exactly think his is useful. Rai can heal any kind of wound, even emotional ones. None of us are quite sure how that works, but it does. However, because none of us really do get any injuries..."

"All I'm good for is fighting." Rai said, not giving Amara a chance to finish. "Not that it matters - it is our basic function."

Iridessa held her breath in at how similar Rai was...to how she thought before meeting Aerrow. However, she suddenly thought of...

"Aerrow."

"Pardon?" Kito asked, a bit confused - he'd heard of this "Aerrow" person off the crowds on Saharr, but didn't know much more than he was a popular sky knight, not to mention a strong one.

"A young man I have considered my little brother for a few years now." She began explaining the story behind their meeting - searching him out after learning he was one of the still-alive test subjects, helping him learn to control his powers, and how he now was living. "It has saddened me greatly to see him this way...before that one activated, he was so happy..."

Rai, who had been leaving the room before she began telling them of Aerrow, began thinking.

"You said...the Council forced his power into existence?" the teen asked softly, looking back at his eldest sister.

"It appears that way. He and I were the only two who knew of ATLAB's activities, and he was the only one readily available...They knew he still had scars - mental and physical - from those experiences, and they still..." Iridessa couldn't continue, anger taking over her so much the words wouldn't escape her. They all noticed her clenched fists, and then...

"You...you're runes have all changed to white..." Kito gasped out. Iridessa's eyes snapped open to look, her rage fading to shock. Amara spluttered slightly in a fit of surprise.

"Iridessa! Your eyes!! They've...They've changed color!!" the younger woman cried out in shock.

"What?!"

Kito created a mirror out of ice, handing it to his "twin" quickly. Iridessa swooned slightly, glad there was a table nearby she could catch her balance on - her eyes had indeed changed from their normal deep violet color, one having become silver, the other a glowing green. Her pupils, she noticed, were...almost cat-like in appearance.

"Iridessa?!" Rai asked frantically, at her side in seconds, trying to calm her with his power.

"N-no...this...this isn't..." Again, she couldn't manage words. She remebered something that Zack had told her of his past --

--FLASHBACK--

_"So, you used to be in a military-like unit, huh?" Dawne asked, glancing over at Zack from where she sat. He sighed as he lay back on the ground, looking up at the sky._

_"Yeah. Y'know, I had a friend who looked kinda like you."_

_"Really?!" Dawne was shocked - somebody with silver hair, and possibly NOT an experiment like her._

_"Mm-hmm. He was, like, the best of us ever - 1st class since he first joined, and that was the highest rank! Heck, he made a general not long after he was enlisted!"_

_"What'd he look like?"_

_"Well...really long silver hair, practically down to his knees. He had skin the color of marble. Always wore a black trench coat and pants, both leather. His weapon was this six-foot katana - I still can't figure out how he could wield that thing as gracefully as he did. And his eyes..." Zack paused, as if it was painful. "His eyes were once the color of gunmetal, a beautiful silver...until this one mission where he went insane...and they turned this glowing, acid green..."_

_"You almost spoke of him as if he was your lover or something!" Dawne chuckled, laying next to Zack and moving so she could look down into his face._

_"And if I was?" the ravenette asked, laughing as a flash of jealousy passed quickly through the silverette's eyes. He placed a quick kiss on Dawne's lips. "Don't worry - that's all in the past!"_

_"It better be..." Dawne grumbled. "If you don't mind my asking, what was his name?"_

_"Still curious?" Zack chuckled. "His name was..."_

--END FLASHBACK--

"Sephiroth..." Iridessa breathed out, finally collapsing. The ice mirror fell from her hands, shattering on the floor. "No...I...I can't be..."

Kito's eyes widened, and he suddenly dove for one of the nearby computers, typing furiously as he brought up and closed multiple files, as if trying to find something. He tensed when he finally found and read the right one. He brought up another one, and then turned to the others, sorrow in his face.

"There are files here...from the original lab." he started. "Projects on people named Genesis, Angeal, and...this Sephiroth you mentioned. Also, something involving many programs within a company called Shinra - illegal ones, in my opinion - and one...directly ties in to you."

Iridessa looked up, her eyes pleading him to continue.

"The JENOVA Project. It is apparently where they took the cells of a being that had fallen to the planet and injected them into live humans to augment their abilities. One such was augmented from before his birth, along with a substance called Mako..."

"Sephiroth..." the other silverette whispered, just loud enough to hear.

"I'm afraid so. And, this other file I pulled up..." Kito looked as though he didn't wish to continue. "Marks...when he sealed off your powers to save you all those years ago...used replicated JENOVA cells to do so...From the footnotes on this file, put in by Marks himself, he said that had been saved as his last resort, as he had very little knowledge of what the side effects of doing so would be."

"He tried everything else first...Everything he knew the effects of...before turning me into another Sephiroth..."

Throughout this entire affair, Rai was silent. As he watched the scene unfold, he felt rage burning within him - rage at the people who had hurt the Aerrow so close to his sister, the people who had hurt his sister...It fueled his decision.

Perhaps...he wasn't as useless as he thought. Without voicing it, he formed a plan...one that would bring hell to some, and relief to others.

--

Ho my...he only just met his sister, and he's already so protective? And Iridessa/Dawne is like Sephiroth? And what are Aerrow's and Rai's plans? Oh yeah, I did have to put that little bit in the flashback - my muse threatened to leave if I didn't. Don't worry, I will only elaborate more on that relationship if you guys want me to; other than that, that one little blurb is it for the story. Anyway, catch you next time in Chapter Four, and remember to review!!


	5. Chapter 4

Chappie number four! At last, we see our two red-heads put plans into action! Let's hope nothing too drastic happens, ne?

--

Disclaimer is the same as always.

--

Chapter Four: Calm Before the Storm

--

_I tried many times but nothing was real_

_Make it fade away, don't break me down_

_I want to believe that this is for real_

_Save me from my fear_

_Don't tear me down_

_Don't tear me down for all I need_

_Make my heart a better place_

_Don't tear me down for all I need_

_Make my heart a better place_

_~Within Temptation, All I Need~_

--

Rai waited until all the others were asleep - he could when they were by the subtle change in airflow around them - before sneaking out of the lab, shivering only mere seconds before his body acclimated to the cold night air. His mind had been set ever since the events earlier.

Hearing Iridessa talk of Aerrow...he could tell how much she loved him. Especially when her rage threw her into activating her ability. He read up on this "Sephiroth" a little more, and had to admit...the stuff scared even him.

This fueled his desire to help her even more, if only by helping Aerrow. He took off into the night, his wings carrying him silently through the darkness...

--

Aerrow mulled over his actions earlier that day, telling the mercenaries how they could find Dawne. Part of his plan, yes, but...he felt a sense of betrayal welling up in him.

Kira nosed his hand, earning a small smile from him as he mindlessly scratched the wolf behind her fuzzy, black ears. Green eyes shifted to the window - it was open, and a soft breeze...

Wait, breeze? It hadn't been windy at all a minute ago. The red-haired teen patted Kira on the head gently before moving to the window.

He gasped when he came face to...well, sort of face, as the figure was cloaked. He nearly called out, but the person raised a finger to where their lips were beneath the hood before looking around nervously. Aerrow was slightly startled to begin with, but even more so when he saw just how the person was at his window in the first place - two, beautiful, white-feathered wings fluttered lightly, keeping whoever it was at a slight hover.

"Meet me on the top." the person whispered, so softly it was almost missed by the teenage sky knight's ears. "It's important."

Before Aerrow could protest, the figure flew up to the top of the Condor, showing that they had no intent of leaving without speaking to him. Resigning himself with a sigh, he silently told Kira to wait in his room before climbing out the window as quietly and carefully as he could, making his way up to the roof.

He studied the figure as he finally made it up there, as best he could anyway with a black cloak covering just about every feature. The wings were gone, and the person was sitting with their knees to the side. Another soft breeze blew by him, although this one was more inviting than as a way to attract his attention this time. Silently, he moved to sit next to this person...with enough distance that he wouldn't accidentally bump into the other.

"So it's true..." the other said, their voice now clear enough to be discernibly male. "You don't allow anyone to touch you..."

"H-how did you..."

"She told me." the other said nonchalantly, as if they were discussing the weather and not something as serious as Aerrow's abilities.

"Dawne?!" Aerrow asked excitedly, green eyes bubbling with hope. So many questions now soared within him - was she alright, was she still thinking of them, would she...would she ever return?

"Is that what you call her?" the other questioned, a note of curiousity in his voice. "I've only known her as Iridessa...no, she did say something at our first meeting of this..."

"Iridessa..." An alias, perhaps?

"It is too long a story, and we haven't enough time." the other stated quickly. "My name is Rai. I...I know Dawne rather well, or so I claim." He reached out slightly, noticing the flinch Aerrow gave as he shied away from his hand. "It will sound hard to believe, but...I can help you."

Aerrow was silent for a moment. "How can you help me...when I can't even be touched without delving into the other's mind?"

Rai steeled himself for this for just a second before pushing back the hood of his cloak. "Because I'm like you...Though, I can never truly understand what you went through, I do know the pain of feeling hopeless...feeling despair..."

The sky knight barely registered those words - he was too caught up in Rai's appearance, way too similar to his own. The soft chuckle suddenly closer to his ear brought his out of his thoughts, and he realized that Rai now sat beside him.

"Startling, I know." the other teen said softly. "How much we look alike..."

"You...you said you can help me?" Aerrow questioned, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes..." Rai whispered back. "You just...have to trust me."

There was no way for him to NOT be nervous, but Aerrow was nonetheless willing to try anything...Anything if it meant he had the chance to live a somewhat normal life.

He flinched again when a hand was placed on his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut as if to block the images that he was sure would come.

...Nothing happened, save the tingling sensation from where his skin was not used to being touched anymore. He hesitantly opened his eyes, meeting the gentle sapphires of the other teen.

"I have an ability...It allows me to nullify and heal any kind of damage done to a person..." he whispered, shifting to fully face his lookalike. "I can already tell, just from this (he nodded slightly at his hand's current place) that...I can't remove your powers...I can't take away that pain...But, perhaps I can help you through it all..."

Aerrow had to close his eyes again, as to try and hold in the tears that now threatened to fall. He could be touched without the pain that came with it! Not only that, but this teen was offering to help him with this.

"Aerrow?" Rai whispered, wiping away the tears that managed to escape. He gasped in shock when he suddenly found the other teen's face buried in his shoulder, arms tightly around his waist.

"Thank you..." the sky knight murmured, voice slightly muffled by Rai's shoulder. "Just...thank you..."

The two stayed like this for a moment before the silver-and-red haired teen pulled away a bit. "I'm sorry...I have to leave."

Aerrow stared at him in shock - he'd been there only for a few minutes, it seemed, and now he was going off?!

"I had to sneak out...I fear they'll awaken to find me gone, and I do not wish that to happen..." Rai pulled them both to their feet, his wings returning. "Allow me to take you back to your room."

The ruby-haired teen said nothing as he was carried back down to his window. He carefully climbed back through, turning back to face the other once on the floor.

"Will I see you again?" he asked softly.

"I will try to visit again soon..." Rai replied just as quietly, placing a hand on Aerrow's shoulder. "Just promise me that you will not lose faith in Dawne..."

"She is my sister...I can't stop believing in her."

Rai nodded, a smile on his face at the sky knight's words, before pulling his hood up and flying off into the night. Aerrow watched until he could no longer distinguish his shadow from the inky black. Feeling Kira at his feet, he looked down into questioning eyes.

"Somebody who may just be able to help us...Who can help Dawne..." he whispered to the wolf, a very soft smile on his own face.

--

Rai flew silently, scanning his surroundings with wary sapphire blue eyes. He cringed as an enraged voice suddenly sounded in his head.

_RAI!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!_ Yeah, Kito was definitely pissed.

_Does it matter? I wanted to help out a bit._ he shot back, his tone a bit apathetic.

_Still, you could've left a note or something!! We've been searching Myst for hours now!!_ came Amara's tone.

"I'm obviously not on Myst..." Rai grumbled to the air around him.

"So we noticed."

Rai whipped his head around to see another person flying beside him - the voice told him it was Iridessa.

"How...how did you find me?"

"I didn't know you were here." the silverette replied. "I was heading out to find you and saw you flying by."

The younger was silent as his sister flew up beside him, violet eyes boring into his own.

"You went to find Aerrow..." she whispered. "Didn't you?" He nodded, not meeting her gaze any longer. "How is he?"

Rai was slightly surprised that Iridessa wasn't as mad at him as the others seemed to be. Then again, of course she would want to hear about her "younger brother" from him, as she had been worried about him so much. "He was...quiet. However, he seemed very happy to meet me. I've never felt so...appreciated before..."

Iridessa looked genuinely happy at the fact both her younger brothers seemed to be happy. She wished she could have visited Aerrow herself, but at the current time, it would put him at risk more than it would help him. She saw Rai wince, and asked if he was alright.

"How is it possible for your ears to ring when the shout isn't even audible to them?" the red-head groaned, shaking his head and muttering something along the lines of "crazy older brothers." Iridessa allowed herself to chuckle a little bit as they headed back towards Myst.

--

Cloud panted harshly, planting First Tsurugi in the ground and leaning against it slightly. He didn't know why, but whenever he was stressed out or frustrated, training seemed to help. This time, though, he seemed to have pushed it - he hadn't been this tired from a training spree since his Academy days. Either he was incredibly frustrated in his fruitless attempt at finding Dawne, or just got caught up in his practice.

Either way, he'd have to rest a bit before heading back.

_Went through materia, sword, and physical..._ the blond thought, staring up into the starry sky. _Just like the old regiment back in the days..._

Blue eyes widened slightly when they caught sight of two figures moving in the distance, shadowed greatly and distorted to be unrecognizable. Squinting a bit and leaning forward in an effort to make out what they might be, he could make out the faintest definition of moving wings. Other than that, nothing else.

Whatever they were, they moved quickly and effortlessly through the air, almost gliding on the darkness itself. It was quite a sight to behold.

"Not birds, if that is what you were thinking." a dark voice came from behind, nearly startling the blond.

"Then what are they, Vinny the Vampire?" Cloud asked, using an old nickname given to the dark-haired man a long time ago.

A slight chuckle came from the red-cloaked man before his reply. "If only we could fly...you might have gotten your wish to catch Dawne, my friend..."

"Yet there's two...A copy or something?"

"No...the other's male, from what I can tell...it's further away than she is." Vincent sighed very softly. "Our target seems to have allies similar to herself."

Cloud nodded, placing his sword back in its holster. "Either it will be a great battle, or a horrible day for us."

With that, the two began the long trek back towards the Condor.

--

Aerrow began finalizing a true plan, one that would hopefully reunite him with Dawne. Meeting Rai gave him many ideas, but only a few could have any real chance of working. Kira had easily picked up on his change of demeanor, and was pacing around the room excitedly.

"Kira, please, calm down!" Aerrow chuckled, watching as the wolf curled up in a ball of sleek, black fur for a moment before springing back up and pacing around again.

"What's up with her?" Zack asked, walking in and barely managing to not trip over the hyperactive lupine.

"Not sure...she just started running around all of a sudden." Aerrow replied softly, quickly masking any trace there might have been that he was feeling more cheerful than before. He couldn't have him becoming suspicious...not now...

Zack shrugged, moving over to the window, which was now closed. "Maybe it's the moon or something...I'm not gonna claim to be any kind of expert on wolves all of a sudden." A sudden chuckle. "Well, a close expert on one, but he's a human, so technically not a wolf..."

"Huh?" Aerrow was totally lost.

"Ah? Sorry, started rambling again, didn't I? We've always said Cloud was like a wolf, and I've known Cloud since he was around your age. That's what I meant."

Aerrow said nothing - he remembered the moment a few years ago, when he felt Zack's death.

"Yeah, yeah, I know - I'm not supposed to be here." the ravenette sighed, shocking the younger quite a bit. "Surprised? I kinda figured it out after we learned about your second ability and the fact you suddenly kept looking at me strangely."

"Have you..."

"Have I told Dawne? Nah, not yet. I figure I probably won't until I know exactly how and why I was sent back." Seeing the glare the teen was now giving him, he put his hands up in defense. "Hey, don't get mad at me! I'll tell her, I promise!"

The sky knight let his glare fade, soon turning his head away. "That memory...I didn't catch much, but..." He paused, risking a glance - Zack's expression told him to continue. "I heard people shouting...then these loud noises, almost like firecrackers...and then...pain ripped through me, as if something was driving into my body..."

"That's about all that happened..." the elder whispered, indigo eyes closing in thought. "Those noises? They came from weapons called guns - nasty things when you're on the receiving end of one. What you felt was probably the bullets..." Zack sighed a bit. "Vincent might be able to explain the concept of guns a bit better - that's his weapon of choice. Gaia knows how many he's got stashed away at our place."

Aerrow had to chuckle at the look on his friend's face. "I'll think about it. He...kinda scares me."

"He kinda scares everybody who meets him. What was that nickname he was given?..."

"Vinny the Vampire."

Both of them jumped at Vincent's voice, as neither heard him approach.

"H-Hey, Vincent! Back so soon?"

"I am. Cloud has returned, as well." The red-cloaked man answered. "He's waiting on the bridge along with Nanaki; I suggest you hurry before he loses his temper again."

With that, Vincent left, leaving a rather mortified Zack and a chuckling Aerrow behind.

"Oh, yeah, you laugh..." the ravenette grumbled, heading towards the door. He looked back at the teen for a moment before hurrying off.

Aerrow sighed, feeling even better than he had been before Zack had arrived. It seemed that none of the others would pick up on any change in his attitude that easily. If he ever saw Rai again...

_Yeah, I might just be able to get away from here..._ he thought, looking out at the sky, a renewed gleam of determination in his eyes once again.

--

Not much to say, other than please review!! Oh, and that I'll be working on a Gundam Wing/Xenosaga crossover while continuing this, so look for it!!


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